Neil HAYAGAN

Recycling is a viable solution, but it is insufficient as a standalone strategy.

Neil earned his BSc in Metallurgical Engineering at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in the Philippines. Due to his passion for metals and minerals, he began his career in the largest copper mining company in his home country. After nearly three years in the industry, he decided to expand his knowledge on metals and their recycling.

He then pursued a triple degree master’s through the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Resources Engineering (EMerald), specializing in Secondary Resources (Recycling), which allowed him to diversify his career (from Primary (Geo)Resources). The master’s program ignited his passion for recycling, leading him to focus his MSc thesis on Li-ion battery (LIB) recycling.

In his master’s thesis, he evaluated three different pre-treatment methods (mechanical, thermo-mechanical, electro-mechanical) in liberating Al and Cu foils from spent cylindrical-type LIBs. This experience deepened his interest and marked a turning point, to engage in research work on batteries, especially their production and degradation. Hence, he applied to DESTINY. DESTINY is oriented towards a holistic view of battery storage technology from its production, development, operation, and recycling to which he considers vital and pertinent. This is what he liked about DESTINY, a consortium of 20 universities, 12 research centers, and industrial partners working together as a team. Becoming a part of which will surely hone his career and help him have an impactful research arising from quality training integrated with multicultural exposure. This type of research environment and international cooperation makes him very comfortable and at the same time excited, all thanks to the training and exposure he received from his master’s program – EMerald.

As a future LIB recycling specialist, he realized the lacked of knowledge in battery production, its operation as well as its degradation and the state when to recycle them. Fortunately, he was selected for a project that addresses these interconnected issues in LIB recycling. His PhD project performed at ICMCB at the University of Bordeaux in France, in collaboration with LRCS and IPREM, focuses on recycling LIBs using pressurized fluids as an innovative method, with the goal of separating components and increasing the recycling efficiency.

In line with his ideals and DESTINY’s mission, he promotes holistic and collaborative LIB research as a better and more inclusive scientific approach. Indeed, recycling should never be seen as a standalone solution! In the context of recycling, it’s important to associate the following words from LIB’s conception: reduce, reuse, repair, refuse, repurpose, remanufacture, recover, refurbish, and rethink!